Swanepoel Emergency Fire Fund: Rebuilding

A seemingly ordinary day at the farmers market turned our world upside down. As we were selling produce from our beloved farm, we received a devastating call from the RCMP. Our farmhouse was engulfed in flames, and nothing could be salvaged due to the intense heat.

This was not just our home; it was our office, our sanctuary, and the heart of our farm operations. Tragically, we lost 48 Tilapia breeding pairs and all of our son's personal belongings. He now has nothing but the clothes he wore that day.

Adding to our distress, our insurance had lapsed just one week before the disaster, and we were actively seeking new coverage. Without insurance, we are facing an insurmountable challenge—rebuilding from scratch with very limited resources.

Our son is crucial to the daily care of our livestock and greenhouse, requiring him to be on the farm 24/7. As winter approaches, we urgently need to construct basic living quarters for him, and eventually, a new home.

We've been passionately running this farm business for just 1.5 years, and this setback could threaten our dreams and hard work. Financially, we cannot bear this loss alone.

We humbly reach out to you, our community, and beyond, to help us in our time of need. Your generous donations will enable us to provide safe and stable housing for our son and start the long journey of rebuilding our lives and our farm.

Covid hit just after this happened. We barely had a change to generate enough breeding pairs again when the government closed the boarders to shipping fish across provinces.

With all this happening the men had to go find jobs and worked long 14 hour days under brutal circumstances- Anna had to manage the farm and her job . The sheep suddenly started dying of a pandemic . University of Calgary helped figure out that they had a copper deficiency - we lost 3/4 of the herd . It was heartbreaking !

The men started building the home - dug new foundations and started putting up the walls ! The Winter came and building stopped. On the 10 th of January Gerrit’s Father passed away unexpectedly!

This family is once again devastated and now they lost their Main Builder too

The summer is here and without our main builder we might have to hire hands to finish before the Next winter hits ( within 4 months ) or we will have to break down everything we built so far !

Every single contribution, no matter the size, brings us one step closer to recovery. We believe in the power of community and kindness, and we trust that God works through people willing to lend a helping hand.

From the depths of our hearts, thank you for your support and compassion.